Thanks again to diehard hip-hop music fanatic E-Lit at the Berkeley Amoeba store for this week's top five chart plus overview of some of the new releases for this exciting new year in hip-hop including the brand new 20 track Lazerbeak album Lava Bangers from the gifted member of the midwest hip-hop collective Doomtree who coincidentally will be doing a special Amoeba Music Berkeley in-store on Monday, Jan 30th 2012 in advance of their Slims San Francisco show the following night, Jan 31st. They will also be playing Santa Cruz the following night (Feb 1st) at the Catalyst (show info here) and Hollywood's Troubadour on Thursday Feb 2nd on a recommended bill with 2Mex. If you are in the East Bay on Monday (Jan 30th) do yourself a favor and stop into Amoeba Berkeley for the Doomtree family in-store since, as E Lit points out in the above video, it will be a great opportunity to meet and chat with such collective talents as Dessa, P.O.S., Sims, and Lazerbeak. More Doomtree Amoeba in-store info here

In the number one position on this latest chart is the brand new Gangrene album (featuring the two Cai based supertalented producer/MC's duo of The Alchemist and Oh No) titledVodka and Ayahuasca. This collaboration, the duo's third release in the past fifteen months, continues with more great rhymes and sick production work including lots of drug references and featuring such guests as Kool G Rap, Roc Marciano, Evidence, and Prodigy who perfectly compliment this recommended album's infectious flow. Note you can buy this CD for just $10.98 including shipping in the US directly from the Amoeba online store. Below, among the videos that include one from Doomtree and Chi-town rapper Calez who drops his anticipated debut this year, is the title track from this new Gangrene ablum.

Just got off the phone with friend of Amoeba DJ Quest who was about to head over to Club Six in San Francisco tonight where, as well as performing with the Space Travelers (all but Eddie Def will be there tonight) the legendary SF DJ will be honored when he and his crew will be inducted in the Zulu Nation. Also at Club Six tonight will be Quest's fellow Travelers DJ Cue, DJ Marz, and Eddie K along with such other DJs as Shortkut and Apollo.

Last weekend Quest was down in SoCal at the big NAMM trade fair which (as in past few years) will be reported on here on the Ameoblog by my man/guest Amoeblog contributor Shing02 (look for video report over next few days here). Quest reprts that "it was good turntable scene down there" with lots of DJs representing including Z Trip, DJ Revolution, and members of the Beat Junkies. "It was a good event with Rane and Stokyo among companies there," said the ever busy Quest who is planning on a couple of big events this year. These include part two of Bay Area Freshman King DJ battle for new up and coming DJs which will happen sometime in May in San Francisco with heavy input from the DJ Project and Horizons Unlimited whose members have all joined Quest at previous Amoeba San Francisco in-store performances. See clip from last year's battle here.

The other big event Quest is in the planning stages of is the 2012 installation of Quest Fest which will (again) feature tons of turntablists and other elements of hip-hop. So far no exact venue is being announced but likely it will be an outdoor park event on a weekend afternoon sometime in October. Stay tuned for details which will be updated here on the Amoeblog. Meanwhile Quest (along with DJ 2Fresh) recently contributed to a new Kid Ginseng 12" called "Electropilot" which is a remix of the song "Autopilot" by Quest and 2Fresh (aka Mission Cartel)

Reggae fans take note that Rocker T is at the Rockit Room (has a nice ring to it) in San Francisco tomorrow Saturday Jan 28th on a reggae double bill with Shinehead plus selectors Mr Keys and Irie Dole. $15 tickets for the 21+ show that starts at 9pm at 406 Clement Street, SF. As a nice cultural bonus to this reggae night there will be Jamaican food catering by Prince Neville. More info here.

Doomtree "Bolt Cutter" (2011)

Gangrene "Vodka & Ayahuaesca" (2012)

Calez "Intermission" (2012)

And finally I leave you with a video I shot a couple of days ago outside Amoeba - a place you are always guaranteed to run into artists - regardless of which Amoeba it is, This was Amoeba Berkeley on Telegraph Ave where I ran into longtime Bay Area hip-hop ambassador & artist BAS ONE on Wednesday when he, at a moments notice, dropped this freestyle.